2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class tailgate

!
The tailgate swingsupwardsand tothe
rear when opened. Therefore, makesure
that there issufficient clearance aboveand
behind thetailgate.
X Insert mechanical key;into opening in
trim :.
X Turn mechanical key;90° clockwise.
X Push mechanical key;inthe direction of
the arrow andopen thetailgate. Side
window s Importa
ntsafety notes G
WARNING When
opening orclosing thedoor windows,
make surethatthere isno danger ofanyone
being harmed bythe opening/closing
procedure.
The door windows areequip pedwith
automatic operationandtheanti-ent rapment
feature. Ifin automatic modeadoor window
encounters anobstruction thatblocks its
path, theanti-ent rapment featurewillstop the
door window andopen itslightly.
The door windows operatedifferently when
the switch ispull ed. See the"Proble mswith
door windows" sectionfordetails.
The closing ofthe door windows canbe
immediately haltedbyreleasi ngthe switch or,
if the switch waspulledpast theresistance
point andreleased ,by either pressing or
pull ing the respective switch. If
adoor window encounters anobstruction
that blocks itspath inacircumstance where
you areclosing thewindows bypressing and
holding the& button onthe SmartKey or
by pressing andholding thelock button
(vehicles withKEYLES S-GO)onanoutside
door handle, theanti-ent rapment featurewill
not operate.
Act ivate theoverride switchwhenchildren
are riding inthe back seats ofthe vehicle. The
children mayotherwise injurethemselves,
e.g. bybecoming trappedinthe door window
opening. G
WARNING Do
not keep anypart ofyour body upagai nst
the window panewhen opening awindow. The
downward motionofthe pane maypullthat
part ofyour body down between thewindow
pane andthedoor frame andtrap itthere. If
there isarisk ofentrapment ,release the
switch andpullitto close thewindow. Opening
andclosing theside
window s :
Front left
; Front right
= Rear right
? Rear left
The switches forallside windows arelocated
on the driver's door.There isalso aswitch on
each doorforthe corresponding sidewindow. Side
windows
85Opening/closing Z

cannot
complete the attem ptedclimb, back it
dow ninr everse gear.
Do not drive along theside ofaslope. The
vehicle mightotherwiserollover. Ifin doing so
the vehicle beginstoshow aten dency toroll,
immediately steerintoaline ofgravity
(straight upordownhill).
Never letthe vehicle rollbackwards inidle.
You may losecontrol ofthe vehicle ifyou use
only theservic ebrake. Forinfor mation on
driving downhill, see"Drivin gdownhill". G
WARN
ING Vehicles
withairsuspension program:Please
be aware thatbyraising thevehicle level,the
cent erofgravity alsorises. Therefor e,alway s
ensure thatthevehicle levelisas low as
possible. Withhigher rideheight theESP®
may activat eearlier incert ainsituation s. G
WARN
ING Do
not reduce thetire inflation pressure
before driving through sand. However, ifyou
do so, remember tocorr ectthe tire inflation
pressure beforecontinuin gyour trip.Drivin g
with reduced tireinflation pressure increases
the risk oflosing control ofthe vehicle and
rolling over.
General notes Read
thissect ioncarefully beforedriving your
vehicle off-road. Practicebydriving overmore
gent leoff- road terrainfirst .
Familiarize yourselfwiththecharact eristics
of your vehicle andthegear shiftoperation
before driving through difficult terrain.
The following drivingsystems arespecially
adapted tooff- road driving:
R Off- road ABS(Ypage 61)
R AIRMA TICpackage (vehiclelevel)
(Y page 180)
R DS R(Downh illSpeed Regulation)
(Y page 208) Observe
thefollowing notes:
R Stop the vehicle beforestartingtodrive
along anoff- road route.
R For vehicles withAIRMA TICpackage:
select avehicle levelthatissuitable forthe
off- road terrain. Make surethere isalway s
sufficien tground clearanc eto preven t
damage tothe vehicle.
R Check thatitems ofluggage andloads are
stowed safelyandarewell secured
(Y page 288).
R Always keeptheengine runningand ingear
when driving onadownhill gradient.
Ac tivat eDS R(Ypage 208).
R Always keepthedoors, tailgate, windows
and sliding sunroof closedwhiledriving.
R Adapt yourspeed tothe terrain. The
rougher, steeperormore rutsonthe
terr ain, theslower yourspeed should be.
R Driv eslowly andatan even speed through
the water. Ensure thatabow wave doesnot
form asyou drive.
R Driv ewith extreme careonunkn ownoff-
road routes wherevisibility ispoor. For
safety reasons ,get out ofthe vehicle first
and survey theoff-road route.
R Look outforobstac lessuch asrock s,holes,
tree stumps andfurrows.
R Check thedepth ofwater before fording
rivers andstreams.
R When fording,do not stop anddonot
switc hoff the engin e.
R On sand, drivequickly tooverc omethe
rolling resistance. Otherwise, thevehicle
could digitself intothe sand.
R Do not jump withthevehicle asthis will
int errupt thevehicle's propulsion.
R Always keeptheengin erunn ingand ingear
when drivingon aslope.
R Do not shift theautomatic transmission to
tran smission positionN. Driving
tips
163Driving and parking Z

For
safety reasons, thevehi clecan only be
low ered with alldoo rsand thetailga teclos ed.
Low ering isinterru ptedifadoo rorthe tailgate
is opened andwillcont inue after thedoor is
closed again.
! When driving onextrem elyrough terrain,
select ahigh vehicle levelingood time.
Make surethatthere isalwa yssufficient
ground clearance toprevent damage tothe
vehicle.
! Remove thekey from theignition before
raising oneormore wheels withthe
appropria teequipment.
For information aboutdriving off-road, see
(Y page 162).
Basic settings
The exten ttowhich thevehicle israised or
lowered depends onthe basic setting
selected. Selectraisedlevelforoff-road
driving orhighway /high-speed levelfor
normal roads.
The individual vehiclelevelsdifferfrom
highway levelasfollows:
R +/- 0in (+/- 0mm) atthe highway level
R –0.6 in(–15 mm)atthe high-speed level
R +2. 3in (+ 60 mm) atthe raised level
Raised level
Only select raised levelwhen thisis
appropriate forthe road condit ions.
Otherwise, fuelconsumpt ionmay increase
and handling maybeaffect ed. X
Start theengine. If
indicator lamp;isnot lit:
X Press button :.
Indicat orlamp ;flashes. Thevehicle rises
to raised level.
While theadjustmen tistaking place,a
message appearsinthe multifunction
displa y,e.g.: If
you press the% ora button onthe
multifunction steeringwheel,themessage
will disapp ear.
Once thevehicle hasreached raisedlevel,
indicator lamp;remains lit.The Vehicle
Rising message
disappearsfrom the
multifunction display.
If you attempt toselect theraised levelata
speed ofover 40mph (64km/h), the Drive
More
Slowly message
appearsinthe
multifunction display.
Highway/high-speed level
! Make surethatthere isenough ground
clearance whenthevehicle isbeing
lowered. Itcould otherwise hitthe ground,
damagi ngthe underbody . X
Start theengine. 182
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

Rear
viewcame ra
Impo rtant safetynotes The
rearview came raisan opt ical park ingand
mane uverin gaid. Itshows thearea behin d
your vehic lewith guide linesinthe COMA ND
display. G
WARN
ING Make
surethatnoperso nsoranimals arein
the mane uverin grang e.Oth erwise, they
could beinjured.
The rear view came raisin the handle onthe
tailgat e. :
Rear viewcame ra
View throu ghthecam era The
area behin dthe vehic leisdisplayed ina
mirr or-inv erted mann er,asinthe rear- view
mirr or. G
WARN
ING The
rear view came raisonly anaid and may
display obstacles
R fro madistort edperspect ive
R inacc urately
R may notdisplay obstaclesatall The
rear view camera doesnotrelieve youof
the respon sibility tobe cautious. Takecare
and paycareful attention. Therear view
camera maynotshow objectswhich are
R very close tothe rear bumper
R under therear bumper
R above thetailgate handle
You arerespon sibleforsafety atall times and
must continue topay attention tothe
immediate surroundingswhen parkin gand
maneuver ing.This includes thearea behind,
in fron tof,and besidethe vehicl e.Otherwi se
you couldendange ryourself and/or others. G
WARNING Under
thefollowing circumstances,therear
view camera willnotfunct ion,orwill funct ion
in alimited manner :
R the tailgate isopen
R in heavy rain,snow orfog
R at night orinvery dark places
R ifthe camera isexposed tovery bright light
R ifthe area islit by fluorescent lightorLED
lighting (thedisplay mayflicker)
R ifthere isasudden changeintemperature,
e.g. when driving intoaheated garagein
winter
R ifthe camera lensisdirty orobstruct ed
R ifthe rear ofyour vehicle isdamaged. Inthis
event ,have thecamera position andsetting
check edataquali fiedspecialist workshop.
Mercedes-B enzrecommen dsthat youuse
an authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter for
this purpose.
Do not use therear view camera inthese
types ofsituation. Youcould otherwise injure
others ordamage objectsand your vehicle
while youareparking. 190
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

Hole
inthe ballcoup lingand ballcoup lingreces s
X Insert theballcoup ling hori zontall yinto ball
coup ling reces s? inthe direction ofthe
arro w,until theholein ba llcoup ling A and
the holein ba llcoup ling reces sB align. Bolt
X
Slid ebol tC allthe wayinto theholein the
ba llcoup ling reces sand theballcoup ling. Bolt
andspringcotter
X Secure theboltusing spring cotterD. Correctly
installedandsecured ballcoupling
X Check theball coupling, boltandspring
cott erfor correct installation. G
WARNING If
the ball coupling isnot correct lyinstalled
and secured, theball coupling andthetrailer
could come loose. Asaresult, youcould
cause anaccident.
Therefore, pleaseobserve thefollowi ng:
R Make surethattheball coupling issecured
with thebolt suppli edand the
corresponding springcotter.
R Ifthe ball coupling cannotbecorrect ly
mounted, removetheball coupling. Under
these circumstanc es,the ball coupling
must notbeused fortrailer towing.
Have theentire trailer towhitch checked ata
qual ified speciali stworkshop. Coupling
upatra iler G
WARNING Vehicles
withairsuspension program:While
you arecoupling ordecoupli ngatrailer, make
sure nobody locksorunlocks thevehicle and/
or opens orcloses doorsorthe tailgate.
The vehicle's levelcould change andyou
could endanger yourselfand/o rothe rsas a
res ult.
Ma kesure tha tyou do not operate theADS
switch orthe vehicle levelcontrolsystem
when coupling/decoupling thetrailer. Tr
ailer towing
215Driving and parking Z

G
WARNING Do
not disconnect atrail erwith anengag ed
overru nbrake. Otherwi se,you rhand could
bec ome trapped between thebumpe rand
trai lerd rawb ar.
Observe themaximu mpermissible trailer
dimension s(width andlengt h).
Most federal statesand allCanadian
provin cesrequire bylaw:
R safety chains between thetowing vehicle
and thetrailer. Thechains should becross -
wound underthetrailer drawbar. Theymust
be fasten edtothe vehicle's trailer
coupling, nottothe bumper orthe axle.
Allow forenough playinthe chains to
facilitat eturn ingtight corners.
R aseparate brakesystem forcert aintypes
of trailer.
R asafety switch forbraked trailers. Check
the specific legalrequirement sapplicable
to your federal state.
If the trailer detaches fromthetowing
vehicle, thesafety switch applies the
trailer's brakes.
! Donot connectthe trailer's brakesystem
(if featured) tothe hydrau licbrake system
of the towing vehicle, asthe latter is
equipp edwith ananti-lock brakesystem.
Doing sowill result inaloss offunct ionof
the brake systems ofboth thevehicle and
the trailer.
X Make surethattheautomatic transmission
is set toposition P.
X Apply thevehicle's electricparking brake.
X Start theengine.
X Vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
select highway level.
X Vehicles withtheadaptive damping
system: setADS toAUTO orCOMF.
X Switch offthe engine.
X Close alldoors andthetailgate.
X Coupl eup the trailer.
X Est ablish allelectrical connections. i
Vehicles
withtheAIRMATIC package:
if you couple upatrailer, thevehicle always
remains athighway level.When coupling up
a trailer, please observe thefollowing:
R ifhighway levelhasnotbeen set
manually ,the vehicle willautomatically
sink tohighway levelassoon asit
reaches aspeed of5m ph(8km/ h).
R high-spe edlevel isnot available.
These restrictions apply toall access ories
powered through acon nection tothe trailer
power socketofyour vehicle, e.g.abicycle
carrier . Towing
atrail er
Th ere arenum erouslega lreq uirem ents
conce rning the towingofatra iler, e.g.speed
rest rictions. Make surethatyour vehicle/
trailer combin ationcomplies withthelocal
requiremen tsnot only inyour areaof
residen cebut also atany location towhich
you aretrav eling. Thepolice andlocal
authorit iescan provide reliableinformation .
Please observe thefollowing whentowinga
trailer:
R To acquaint yourselfwithdrivin gwith a
trailer andwith theresultin gchang esto
handling, youshould practicecorn ering,
stoppin gand backin gup inatraf fic-free
location .
R Befor edrivin g,chec k:
- the trailer towhitch
- the safety switchfor braked trailers
- the safety chains
- the elect ricalconnection s
- the lights
- the wheels
R Adj ust the exterior mirror sto provide an
unobst ructedview ofthe rear sectionofthe
trailer.
R Ifthe trailer features electronic ally
con trolled brakes, pullaway thevehicle/
trailer combin ationcarefully, manually 216
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

brake
usingthebrake controller, andchec k
the brakes forcorr ectfunc tion.
R Sec ureany objec tson the trailer topreven t
the cargo fromslipping whenthevehicle is
in mot ion.
R Ifyou couple upatrailer, regularly check
the cargo forsecure fasteningand make
sure thatthetrailer lamps and(if
applicable) thetrailer brakes are
func tioningcorr ectly.
R Bear inmind thatthehandling willbeless
stable whentowingatrailer thanwhen
drivin gwithout one.Avoid sudden steering
movem ents.
R The vehicle/ trailercombin ationisheavier,
acceler atesmore slowly, hasadecreased
gradient climbingcapability andalonger
brakin gdistan ce.
It is more suscept ibletoside winds and
requires morecareful steering.
R Ifpossible, avoidabrupt braking.Depres s
the brake pedalmoderat elyatfirst ,so that
the trailer canactiv ateitsown brakes. Then
incr ease thepressure onthe brake pedal.
R Ifthe automatic transmission continues to
shift back andforthbetween twogears
when drivingup ordownhill, restrict the
shift range. Selectshiftrange 4,3,2,or 1.
Al ower gearandlower speed reduce the
risk ofengine failure.
R On long andsteep gradients thatare
difficult todrive down inshift range 1,
switch tothe off-road program orengage
the LOW GEAR off-road gear.
R When driving downhill, shifttoalower gear
to utilize theengine's brakingeffect.
Avoid continuous brakeapplication asthis
may overheat thevehicle brakesand,if
installed, thetrailer brakes.
R Ifthe coolant temperat ureincreases
dramatically whiletheair-con ditioning
system isswitched on,switch offthe air-
condit ioning system.
Coolant heatcanadditionally bedissipated
by opening thewindows andbysett ingthe blower
fanand theinterior temperat ureto
maximum.
R When overtak ing,payparticular attention
to the exten dedlength ofyour vehicle/
trailer combinat ion.
Due tothe length ofyour vehicle/t railer
combinat ion,youwillhave totravel an
additional distancebeyondthevehicle you
are overtak ingbefore returningtothe
previous lane. Deco
upling atrail er G
WA
RNI NG Ve
hicle swi th airs uspen sionprogram :While
you arecoupling ordecoupling atrailer, make
sure nobody locksorunlocks thevehicle and/
or opens orcloses doorsorthe tailgate.
The vehicle's levelcould change andyou
could endanger yourselfand/orothersasa
result.
Make surethatyoudonot operate theADS
switch orthe vehicle levelcontrolsystem
when coupling/decoupling thetrailer.
! Donot disconnec ta trailer withan
engaged overrunbrake.Otherwise, your
vehicle couldbedamaged bythe
rebounding ofthe overrun brake.
X Make surethattheautomatic transmission
is set toposition P.
X Apply thevehicle's electricparking brake.
X Start theengine.
X Close alldoors andthetailgate.
X Apply thetrailer's parkingbrake. G
WARNING Vehicles
withairsuspension program:As
soon asyou disconnec tthe electrical
conn ection between thetrailer andthe
vehicle, thevehicle willlower. Tohelp avoid
personal injury,makesurenoone isnear the
wheel housing orunderneath thevehicle
before theelectrical connection is
disconnec ted. Tr
ailer towing
217Driving and parking
Z

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions Ser
viceReq uired Do Not Shi
ft Gea
rs Vis
itDealer You
cannotchange thetransmission positionduetoamalfunction.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
If trans mis sion positionD is selec ted:
X Dr ive toaqualifi edspec ialist workshopwit hout shiftingth e
tr ans mis sion from posi tionD.
If trans mis sion positionR, Nor Pis selec ted:
X Not ifyaqualifi edspec ialist workshopor break down service. Onl
yShi ft to
'P' when Veh
icleis Sta
tionary The
vehicle ismov ing.
X Pull overand stop thevehiclesa fel yas soo naspossible ,pay ing
attent iontoroad andtraffic conditions.
X Shift thetransmission toposition P. A The
tailgate isopen.
X Close thetailgate. ? G
Risk
ofaccident The
hood isopen.
X Pull over andstop thevehicle safelyassoon aspossible ,pay ing
attent iontoroad andtraffic conditions.
X Apply theelectric parking brake.
X Close thehood. C At
least onedoor isopen.
X Close allthe doors. D
Power
Steering Malfunction
See Operator's
Manual G
Risk
ofaccident The
power steering ismalfunctioning.
You willneed touse more forcetosteer.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
X Chec kwhether youareable toapply theextr aforce required.
X Ifyou areable tosteer safely: carefully driveontoaqual ified
specialist workshop.
X Ifyou areunable tosteer safely: donot drive on.Contact the
nearest qualified specialist workshop. 266
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays